Welcome to urbaneer.com’s Home Of The Month. This monthly feature provides a snap shot of what urbaneer.com’s Buyers have recently bought in the City of Toronto.
I know it always comes as a surprise for my buyers when I tell them that it doesn’t matter how long it takes to find the Perfect Home, it will ultimately present itself no matter how convoluted the process. How do I know this? Because over the twenty+ years I’ve been selling real estate placing hundreds of Purchasers into their dwellings, they have consistently told me that it feels like the place they ended up was “always meant to be”. As a realtor who asks his clients to trust their intuition, follow their heart and let the property ‘speak to them’ (my associate Darcy even more aptly likes to ask purchasers “Does the Dwelling Sing to You?”), relying on the universe is truly the best way to go.
Case in point. Over the past year you may have read some of my posts about one of my fab couples who took over a year to find the right property. They called me six months before their wedding and they bought six months after the ceremony. Imagine, by the time they closed on their purchase they still hadn’t lived together because both their places were too small for cohabitation. Crazy! But so is finding the Perfect Home, right?
These Buyers learned a lot about the house buying process which gave me plenty to share on my blog. Click HERE for the post about their negotiating with a Flipper who didn’t want to warrant his own work, HERE for the perils of the bidding war, and HERE on the risks of buying a house potentially infested with termites! This couple went through the real estate wringer.
And yet, it all worked out perfectly in the end!
These Buyers had a fairly straight-forward wish list. Both ardent cyclists, an easy commute from downtown to a place with adequate accessible bike storage was high on the priority list. Along with a spacious ‘man cave’ for him, a private sunny home office for her, and a decent kitchen for the resident baker, the rest of their needs included a guest room and some outdoor space that wasn’t high-maintenance.
This four-storey semi-detached house situated on a 23×55 foot lot in South Cabbagetown was constructed in the early 1990s. With soaring ceilings, exceptional light, and in good nick, this 3-bedroom 2.5bath residence had an oversized garage, private roof terrace and just-the-right-size garden with deck. Totalling around 2000 square feet, this property had all the space a couple requires. Below are some pics of the property:
I also had my own wish list for these Buyers. First, the hubby is great big strapping fella… not of the 6’6″ variety but big enough that most Toronto property basements were an invitation for head-banging on bulkheads, squeezing down narrow stairs, and toe-stubbing on uneven floors. There were even occasions where he had to duck his head coming down the stairs from the second floor!
Although I understand that when you live a life where ducking your head under a beam or walking sideways down a basement staircase is considered a necessary evil to your natural stature, as your realtor I will simply not stand for it. Despite my Buyer’s willingness to accept this everyday state of affairs, I couldn’t bring myself to sell a property where my client would spend the foreseeable future ducking, tilting and turning to fit into his future home. I insisted we find a property with a decent lower level.
Although there are no photos to share, this terrific property had two special bonuses. The first was the private 8′ high lower level wrapped in windows with walk-out that outshone every other potential ‘man-cave’ we had seen the entire year. This lower level was perfect. Equally important, the top floor of this residence had a treetop aeerie fitted with a small kitchenette and direct access to a private rooftop terrace. This high-in-the-sky sanctuary was the ideal location for her home office where she operates her consulting business. As a realtor who, through personal trial and error, has learned that providing a private sanctuary for each partner to call their own spatially supports loving cohabitation, I loved how this property gives each person their own independent floor.
Offered at $549,000, my Buyers successfully secured this property for around 9% over list in competition. They are now not only married, but living in domestic bliss!
If you, or someone you know, has particular real estate needs, wishes and desires and requires some gentle guidance, please know we’re here to help at urbaneer.com
~ Steven
Home Of The Month
